Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frnormalheart.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Friday, November 17). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The Normal Heart takes place between July 1981 and May 1984 in New York City. The play opens in the office of Dr. Emma Brookner, a strong-willed and outspoken woman who is bound to her wheelchair due to polio. Emma is the most outspoken doctor during throughout the play and encourages all men to stop having sex, as she deals with hundreds of gay men who come in and out of her office daily who have contracted the virus through what she presumes to be sexual activity. The other characters in the play include Ned Weeks who is the outspoken leader and principal character of the play, a gay man who condemns the promiscuity of the gay community and leads a very vocal, and at times, coarse, fight against AIDS. Alongside Ned is his lover, Felix, a young man who works for the New York Times, Ned's brother Ben, who is a wealthy New York attorney, Mickey Marcus,
Bruce Niles, and Tommy Boatright, friends of Ned's who join's in the fight against AIDS. The latter three men all join forces with Ned in forming their very own organization to try and fight the spread of the currently unknown and unnamed terminal virus.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play occurs in the last scene of the first act. The intrusion occurs when Felix takes off his sock and shows Ned the purple lesions on his foot. The lesions are an indication that Felix has contracted AIDS and is inevitably going to die. This acts as the intrusion in the play because it is the scene that catapults the actions of Ned to be amplified. The AIDS epidemic hits much closer to home for Ned after Felix's diagnosis and this makes Ned fight even harder than he previously was for the cause.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day that Ned Weeks meets Dr. Emma Brookner and discovers the horrific nature of the AIDS epidemic as he witnesses the untimely death of his friend, Craig Donner, and is prompted to begin the fight against the unnamed terminal virus.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
The dramatic question of the play is will awareness of the AIDS epidemic be fully brought to light by Ned and his peers? By the end of the play, this question is still left slightly unanswered. It does become aware that the men have acquired a time to sit down and meet with the mayor of New York after years of trying to contact him. In addition, it is made clear that the AIDS epidemic is featured on the front page of the New York Times. All of these facts indicate that the cause that has been led by Ned Weeks and his friends is finally gaining ground and raising awareness. However, the real twist in the plot comes when Bruce reads the letter that himself and the other Board of Directors, Tommy and Mickey, wrote that essentially removed Ned from the organization that he had originally created in the first place. So while awareness is brought to the AIDS epidemic, while it is credited to the work of Ned Weeks, it is made clear that he is no longer apart of the mainstream cause due to his harsh and brash tactics.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first type of exposition occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not know or are not fully aware of. This is illustrated by the idea that the audience knows that the unnamed virus affecting all of the gay characters throughout the play is AIDS. In the play, none of the characters are aware that the disease that is killing the hundreds of gay men in New York is actually AIDS and is, in fact, being transmitted sexually. The audience's awareness of this due to the fact that the play is being performed after extensive research into AIDS, creates the first type of exposition. The second type of exposition occurs when the characters and the audience know the same thing. This exposition is illustrated by the character's and the audience's acknowledgment of the severity of the AIDS epidemic. Bot the audience and the characters are aware of the number of lives that are being lost to AIDS in the gay community during the time of the play.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play is the final scene where Felix is dying in the hospital bed and Emma is performing a wedding ceremony between Felix and Ned. The scene is the most theatrical because there is a lot going on in the scene. First, Felix is literally lying on a bed and slowly dying of AIDS while his lover stands at his bedside, pardon me while I wipe away the tears that I'm reliving simply writing this. Secondly, Emma is performing an abridged sort of wedding ceremony at the same time that Felix is dying. Again, pardon the tears. Before the scene even starts, Felix hands Ned a rock from Dracula's castle as a way to always remember him when he is gone. The staging with the hospital bed in the middle of the stage and the two men who walk on to take Felix and the bed away adds to the theatricality as well. We cannot even forget the embrace and forgiveness that occurs right after Felix's death between Ned and his previously estranged brother Ben. A real tear jerker for sure.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Many themes are discussed throughout the play including love, loss, dedication, perseverance, independence, equality or lack thereof, and betrayal. However, the most prominent and arguably most important theme of the play is perseverance. The theme of perseverance is seen by all of the characters, but specifically Ned and Emma. Ned and Emma fight tirelessly despite constant obstacles for recognition of the AIDS epidemic despite all of the backlash, hate, and lack of support from the community. Awareness of the AIDS epidemic and its terribly destructive nature would never be achieved if it were not for the perseverance and work of advocates and fighters like Emma and Ned. We can all take a few notes form their unrelenting and unforgiving fight to raise awareness for such a terminal illness while no one would bother to listen. For that, Emma and Ned's perseverance is not only admirable but essential.
8. What does Ned want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
The biggest thing that Ned wants is to cease the spread of AIDS and raise awareness to the destructive nature of this unnamed and undiscovered disease. The obstacles that are getting in the way of Ned achieving this goal include his society, lack of funding, lack of publicity, lack of support from his friends, and his big mouth. Ned has a lofty goal that is unregulated by the rest of society. Ned tries and advocates for gay men to stop having sex in order to stop the spread of the disease but is met with criticism and hate. Ned approaches his fight with a sort of unapologetic coarseness and brashness that gets him into a lot of trouble with his friends and his community. Becuase of his attitude, he receives a lot of backlash and is unable to get proper funding or support from not only the gay community but his own friends who are a part of his movement for awareness and is eventually kicked out of their group and organization. However, in the end, it is clear that the progress made in the advancement and recognition of AIDS can be attributed to the fight of Ned Weeks and his unrelenting spirit.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The title of the play is a major image that helps convey the message of the work as a whole. While there is no clear imagery of heart, the title, The Normal Heart, refers to the acceptance and admittance of normalcy of the gay community and their struggles. Throughout the play, it is made clear that society dehumanizes the gay community painting them in an almost animalistic light that belittles and ostracizes the gay community. The AIDS epidemic adds to their view as less than human by society and their community. However, the gay identity and gay community are real people who have normal hearts, despite the AIDS epidemic and society's twisted view of reality.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family is explored through the play by the relationship between Ned and his brother Ben. It is evident early on that Ned places a lot of importance on Ben's opinion of him and that Ned really values Ben's opinions and views. However, when Ned approaches Ben in his office to ask for support in his cause to fight against AIDS, Ben refuses and Ned decides to argue and fight with his brother about the importance of supporting a cause. In addition, Ned accuses his brother of never fully believing that his brother was a normal person. Ned accuses Ben of thinking that Ned is different than him, inferior, and sick with a mental illness. All of the accusations made by Ned are not denied by Ben either. However, despite their big blowout and Ned saying how he would never talk to his brother again, blood is thicker than water as seen through their embrace and reconciliation that occurs at the end of the paly after the death of Felix.
Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frnormalheart.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Friday, November 17). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
The Normal Heart takes place between July 1981 and May 1984 in New York City. The play opens in the office of Dr. Emma Brookner, a strong-willed and outspoken woman who is bound to her wheelchair due to polio. Emma is the most outspoken doctor during throughout the play and encourages all men to stop having sex, as she deals with hundreds of gay men who come in and out of her office daily who have contracted the virus through what she presumes to be sexual activity. The other characters in the play include Ned Weeks who is the outspoken leader and principal character of the play, a gay man who condemns the promiscuity of the gay community and leads a very vocal, and at times, coarse, fight against AIDS. Alongside Ned is his lover, Felix, a young man who works for the New York Times, Ned's brother Ben, who is a wealthy New York attorney, Mickey Marcus,
Bruce Niles, and Tommy Boatright, friends of Ned's who join's in the fight against AIDS. The latter three men all join forces with Ned in forming their very own organization to try and fight the spread of the currently unknown and unnamed terminal virus.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play occurs in the last scene of the first act. The intrusion occurs when Felix takes off his sock and shows Ned the purple lesions on his foot. The lesions are an indication that Felix has contracted AIDS and is inevitably going to die. This acts as the intrusion in the play because it is the scene that catapults the actions of Ned to be amplified. The AIDS epidemic hits much closer to home for Ned after Felix's diagnosis and this makes Ned fight even harder than he previously was for the cause.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day that Ned Weeks meets Dr. Emma Brookner and discovers the horrific nature of the AIDS epidemic as he witnesses the untimely death of his friend, Craig Donner, and is prompted to begin the fight against the unnamed terminal virus.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
The dramatic question of the play is will awareness of the AIDS epidemic be fully brought to light by Ned and his peers? By the end of the play, this question is still left slightly unanswered. It does become aware that the men have acquired a time to sit down and meet with the mayor of New York after years of trying to contact him. In addition, it is made clear that the AIDS epidemic is featured on the front page of the New York Times. All of these facts indicate that the cause that has been led by Ned Weeks and his friends is finally gaining ground and raising awareness. However, the real twist in the plot comes when Bruce reads the letter that himself and the other Board of Directors, Tommy and Mickey, wrote that essentially removed Ned from the organization that he had originally created in the first place. So while awareness is brought to the AIDS epidemic, while it is credited to the work of Ned Weeks, it is made clear that he is no longer apart of the mainstream cause due to his harsh and brash tactics.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first type of exposition occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not know or are not fully aware of. This is illustrated by the idea that the audience knows that the unnamed virus affecting all of the gay characters throughout the play is AIDS. In the play, none of the characters are aware that the disease that is killing the hundreds of gay men in New York is actually AIDS and is, in fact, being transmitted sexually. The audience's awareness of this due to the fact that the play is being performed after extensive research into AIDS, creates the first type of exposition. The second type of exposition occurs when the characters and the audience know the same thing. This exposition is illustrated by the character's and the audience's acknowledgment of the severity of the AIDS epidemic. Bot the audience and the characters are aware of the number of lives that are being lost to AIDS in the gay community during the time of the play.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play is the final scene where Felix is dying in the hospital bed and Emma is performing a wedding ceremony between Felix and Ned. The scene is the most theatrical because there is a lot going on in the scene. First, Felix is literally lying on a bed and slowly dying of AIDS while his lover stands at his bedside, pardon me while I wipe away the tears that I'm reliving simply writing this. Secondly, Emma is performing an abridged sort of wedding ceremony at the same time that Felix is dying. Again, pardon the tears. Before the scene even starts, Felix hands Ned a rock from Dracula's castle as a way to always remember him when he is gone. The staging with the hospital bed in the middle of the stage and the two men who walk on to take Felix and the bed away adds to the theatricality as well. We cannot even forget the embrace and forgiveness that occurs right after Felix's death between Ned and his previously estranged brother Ben. A real tear jerker for sure.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Many themes are discussed throughout the play including love, loss, dedication, perseverance, independence, equality or lack thereof, and betrayal. However, the most prominent and arguably most important theme of the play is perseverance. The theme of perseverance is seen by all of the characters, but specifically Ned and Emma. Ned and Emma fight tirelessly despite constant obstacles for recognition of the AIDS epidemic despite all of the backlash, hate, and lack of support from the community. Awareness of the AIDS epidemic and its terribly destructive nature would never be achieved if it were not for the perseverance and work of advocates and fighters like Emma and Ned. We can all take a few notes form their unrelenting and unforgiving fight to raise awareness for such a terminal illness while no one would bother to listen. For that, Emma and Ned's perseverance is not only admirable but essential.
8. What does Ned want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
The biggest thing that Ned wants is to cease the spread of AIDS and raise awareness to the destructive nature of this unnamed and undiscovered disease. The obstacles that are getting in the way of Ned achieving this goal include his society, lack of funding, lack of publicity, lack of support from his friends, and his big mouth. Ned has a lofty goal that is unregulated by the rest of society. Ned tries and advocates for gay men to stop having sex in order to stop the spread of the disease but is met with criticism and hate. Ned approaches his fight with a sort of unapologetic coarseness and brashness that gets him into a lot of trouble with his friends and his community. Becuase of his attitude, he receives a lot of backlash and is unable to get proper funding or support from not only the gay community but his own friends who are a part of his movement for awareness and is eventually kicked out of their group and organization. However, in the end, it is clear that the progress made in the advancement and recognition of AIDS can be attributed to the fight of Ned Weeks and his unrelenting spirit.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The title of the play is a major image that helps convey the message of the work as a whole. While there is no clear imagery of heart, the title, The Normal Heart, refers to the acceptance and admittance of normalcy of the gay community and their struggles. Throughout the play, it is made clear that society dehumanizes the gay community painting them in an almost animalistic light that belittles and ostracizes the gay community. The AIDS epidemic adds to their view as less than human by society and their community. However, the gay identity and gay community are real people who have normal hearts, despite the AIDS epidemic and society's twisted view of reality.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family is explored through the play by the relationship between Ned and his brother Ben. It is evident early on that Ned places a lot of importance on Ben's opinion of him and that Ned really values Ben's opinions and views. However, when Ned approaches Ben in his office to ask for support in his cause to fight against AIDS, Ben refuses and Ned decides to argue and fight with his brother about the importance of supporting a cause. In addition, Ned accuses his brother of never fully believing that his brother was a normal person. Ned accuses Ben of thinking that Ned is different than him, inferior, and sick with a mental illness. All of the accusations made by Ned are not denied by Ben either. However, despite their big blowout and Ned saying how he would never talk to his brother again, blood is thicker than water as seen through their embrace and reconciliation that occurs at the end of the paly after the death of Felix.